The chorus for justice for the 23-year-old medical student who was raped and viciously attacked in a private chartered bus in the national capital is growing. For the fifth day in a row, protests spilled over on the streets, and on Friday, it reached the gates of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Association for Democratic Reforms official Jagdeep Chhokar said six state politicians and two national MPs are currently facing sexual assault charges – though they all fall short of rape.

Chief Justice Altamas Kabir has agreed to hear a petition from retired civil servant Promilla Shanker asking the supreme court to suspend all MPs facing prosecution for crimes against women as part of a widespread campaign to strengthen anti-rape laws.

Protests have taken place every day since the student was attacked on December 16.

7 thoughts on “Indian anti-rape update”

Reblogged this on The ObamaCrat.Com™ and commented:
India has serious world problems when it comes to this issue of rape. Most won’t agree with me on this but any man who rapes anyone needs to be repeatedly raped himself. Thats my start to the solution of showing sub humans who rape, what power is really all about.

I totally agree. Eye for an eye. You rape someone, you get raped in return. It’s harsh, but something needs to give because things aren’t getting better in India and it sounds like they aren’t making much effort to fix matters.

Hi Michelle, well known Indian Mahatma Gandhi, near whose monument in Delhi the anti-rape demonstrations are, has famously remarked about the “eye for an eye” ideology that it just makes the whole world blind. Revenge rapes of (alleged) perpetrators, or of their sisters etc. will cause more revenge rapes of innocent women. Etc.

A better anti-rape strategy is to strengthen the position of women overall, in India and everywhere in the world. “Blame the victim” ideas should be eradicated from police. Not just in India; in many other countries too. Like in Canada, where the infamous remark by a police commissioner that women themselves are to blame for being raped because they allegedly dress like “sluts”, gave rise to the worldwide SlutWalk movement.

Women who complain about sexual violence should be guaranteed there will be no remarks like “You were wearing a miniskirt”, and a thorough investigation of the crime.

All obstacles to women’s equality should be torn down. They indirectly contribute to a climate in which women are raped. Bosses who pay women workers less than male workers are indirectly guilty of rape. Religious leaders who ban women from even becoming village priests, let alone bishops or popes are indirectly guilty of rape.

No wonder that a Spanish archbishop on the extreme Right of the Roman Catholic church has condoned rape:

What should happen now in India is not that maybe the perpetrators of the horrible crime in South Delhi get the death penalty, and very little is done about the millions of other rape cases in India, and billions of cases all over the world.

I admit I may have been a bit overly aggressive in my earlier comment. You’re absolutely right, of course. I know eye for an eye never works out — it just frustrates me that this sort of thing is happening and it seems like nothing is being done to fix it. Women shouldn’t have to hide in their homes in fear of their lives. This is the 21st century — it’s time to get our societies straightened out and start treating each other the way we deserve to be treated.

I completely understand your anger. I, like millions all over the world, am also angry about the Delhi atrocity as well. However, like we see, this anger should result in constructive measures improving the situation of women; not in blind violence.

IF they really want to send a strong message, make it life without parole for repeat offenders of this nature. After being in the general population of most prisons, they won’t re-offend…Just my opinion.

A 23-year-old student has died after being gang raped on a bus for hours. This is the last straw in the global war on women. Join massive protests in India, and call on the government to strengthen laws and launch a major public education campaign to challenge and shame the grotesque attitudes that led to this violence:

Sign the petition
She was a 23-year-old physical therapy student who boarded a bus in Delhi last month. Six men locked the door, and savagely raped her for hours, including with a metal rod. They dumped her naked in the street, and after bravely fighting for her life, she died last weekend.

Across India, people are responding in massive protests to say enough is enough. In India a woman is raped every 22 minutes, and few see justice. Globally, a staggering 7 in 10 women will be physically or sexually abused in their lifetime. This horror in Delhi is the last straw — it’s 2013, and the brutal, venal, global war on women must stop. We can start by drawing the line in India.

The government is accepting public comments for the next 48 hours. We urgently need both stronger law enforcement and a massive public education program to change the grotesque but common male attitudes that permit violence against women. If 1 million of us join the call for action, we can help make this young woman’s horror the last straw, and the beginning of a new hope:

The ringleader of the woman’s rapists coldly says she deserved it because she dared to stand up to him. Blaming the victim and other outrageous attitudes are found across society, including in the police who continually fail to investigate rape. Such views repress women and corrupt men everywhere. Massively funded public education campaigns have radically shifted social behaviour on drunk driving and smoking, and can impact the treatment of women. Tackling the root causes of India?s rape epidemic is vital, alongside better laws and faster legal processes.

Advertising in India is relatively cheap, so a significant funding commitment could blanket airwaves in multiple media markets for a sustained period of time. The ads should target male subcultures where conservative misogyny thrives, directly challenging and shaming those attitudes, ideally using messengers like popular sports figures that carry authority with the audience.

We have just 24 hours to influence the official Commission set up to find ways to crack down on India’s wave of sexual violence. If we can show real success in shifting attitudes in India, the model can be applied to other countries. The money spent will more than pay for itself by reducing poverty and promoting development, since treatment and empowerment of women has been identified as one of the greatest single drivers of social and economic progress. Click to send a message directly to the Indian government:

From opposing the stoning of women in Iran, to supporting the reproductive rights of women in Morocco, Uzbekistan and Honduras, to lobbying for real action to counter the growing ‘rape trade’ in trafficked women and girls, our community has been on the front lines of the fight to end the war on women. This new year begins with new resolve in India.